Calamity [Zarry Stylik AU]©️

Chapter 11: WHAT IF YOU'RE THE ONE LURING ME

H,

Riding along in the car, sitting so close to Zayn, but at the same time so far away - because Carol was between us - hurt my soul.

I could smell him and see him through the corner of my eye. If I looked to the side, I could see his hands resting on his legs and his knees grazing Carol's leg. I hated the fact that he was so close to her.

I hated it.

I couldn't dare to look at him or I would fall right there and then. Not in front of my friends. Not like this.

So, I kept looking out the window looking at my town prepared for the night ahead.

I allowed Liam to show our little town around and Niall to add the necessary commentary. We drove past our main church, the theatre, the school, the town's local soccer club and stadium or the local park. We pointed out the fountain and other artistic facts about our town.

We drove close to the pub area, showing some of our favourite spots - the boys pointed to the Sphere as 'the' place and I rolled my eyes in silence. We drove past Nana's bakery, where my eyes met Zayn's for eternity. Looking at the watch I noticed it was getting late and we were hungry. Contrary to what was first planned, my mother cancelled dinner blaming an emergency at the Centre which made her stay late - I wonder if Zayn was the emergency.

I wasn't the only one hungry, so we collectively agreed to drive to our favourite place to eat - and the only one open at this hour of the night.

Niall, Liam, and Carol went to place our requests together, while Zayn and I stayed behind in the car. Even though we were parked in the shadows, I refused to look at him. I was afraid if I stared, he would vanish, and I would wake up from the dream. I wanted his lips on mine again, but I knew this wasn't the time just yet. I needed to stay calm.

"Quirky little town, this one," Zayn noted. I turn my head to look at him, finding him staring out the window. "I forgot how everything closed after 9 pm. Not a single person is out. In New York, this is the period when the city comes to life. Sometimes, you might even see more people out during the night, than during the day. The traffic can sometimes be impossible even at night, all it takes is for the red light to take an extra second to change to green."

"Quietness is key here."

"I know that now. I freaked out on my first night here," Zayn explained sighing heavily. "I still struggle with sleeping, but I'm better now. It was impossible to sleep with all the silence. The first night without nightmares was the one with you. Under the tree."

"Mine too. Although, my neck was a bit sore after."

We shared a bit of a laugh.

"Funny thing about silence, it makes all your thoughts echo, you know? And when you have an addiction, you don't want those echoes running around in your head." Zayn explained looking out the window. "I wanted the quietness, but not the loud kind. I wanted the numbness."

"That's too much to want." I felt Zayn's eyes on me, as I looked down at my hands. "For the world to stop and to just be quiet without the echo. The echo is there for a reason. Remember that you are still alive and have a reason to be alive. If it's not there, then...nothing is worth it."

Zayn adjusted in his seat.

"Look at me, Harry." I looked, finding Zayn staring back. He had his head against the headrest of his seat, hands crossed over his stomach and legs apart. His eyes were particularly sparkling, even in the dead of night. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving me today. I know it was probably a lot to hear about what happened that night."

"I believe it was even worse for you."